Purchasing Manager

ABOUT OUR CLIENT:

With over 80 years of experience in the alcohol industry, our client understands the complex US beverage alcohol business and enables our customers to navigate it more efficiently. We collaborate with retailers and suppliers to design and implement supply chain solutions to optimize a product's route to market. Our client provides a single point-of-contact across the entire beverage alcohol supply chain, bringing together the services of our affiliated companies Gordon Logistics, Milton's Distributing, and Hope Beverage. We recognize that nothing happens without our people and that our team members are our most important asset.

We're a family-owned and operated business committed to building a culture that recognizes, respects, and rewards our employees. We offer competitive wages and comprehensive benefits coverage including medical, dental, 401K, profit sharing, and tuition reimbursement.

WHO YOU ARE:

The Purchasing Manager in the beverage industry is a key role responsible for managing the procure-to-pay process from forecasting and purchasing to inventory management and vendor coordination. This role ensures efficient and accurate operations, timely delivery of goods, and effective communication with all stakeholders to meet business objectives.. This position requires strong analytical skills, negotiation expertise, and a deep understanding of supply chain management in the beverage industry. The Purchasing Manager plays a vital role in ensuring product availability, optimizing procurement processes, and managing inventory levels to support efficient operations and meet customer demands.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Execute a purchasing and procurement strategy aligned with the company's goals and objectives. Such strategy includes but is not limited to optimizing inbound route to market, ensuring optimum inventory fill rates and inventory turns, and analyzing and responding to freight market trends
• Manage a team of different levels of buyers who need to forecast and plan orders both by looking at vendor and procurement zone.
• Business Process owner for Forecasting and Demand Planning. Superuser of MGX's Demand planning software. Responsible to collaborate with Supply Chain Analyst to ensure continuous improvement of the Forecast.
• Manage Logistics Coordinator, ensuring that Procurement plans are carried out in efficient and compliant manner in order to minimize out of stocks while minimizing costs to land products into facilities.
• Accountable for inbound freight budget. Includes ownership of RFP's to freight forwarders and carriers and negotiating the most competitive rates and terms. Maintain strong relationships with key freight forwarders and carriers, monitor and report on their performance, and resolve any issues or disputes that may arise. Clear understanding of the different challenges in shipping via ocean, rail, intermodal and OTR shipments. Must have strong background with both Imported and Domestic freight.
• Oversee the creation, review, and approval of purchase orders in accordance with inventory targets, procurement policies and budgetary constraints. Ensure accuracy and completeness of purchase orders and facilitate efficient order fulfillment.
• Conduct regular review with Supply Chain Analyst and Director of Supply Chain to drive improvement against monthly KPI's. Review to include but no limited to, downstream wholesale inventory levels, supplier order lead times, aged inventory, and inventory classification.
• Cultivate strong partnerships with suppliers to enhance collaboration and execute continuous improvement initiatives. Conduct regular supplier performance reviews, address any issues, and identify opportunities for process and quality improvements.
• Ensure compliance with legal, regulatory, and ethical standards in procurement practices. Monitor and mitigate procurement-related risks, including supply chain disruptions, price fluctuations, and quality issues. Stay updated on industry regulations and emerging trends in procurement.
• Oversee that all shipments meet US Custom requirements. Have a clear understanding of CBMA guidelines to work with suppliers on getting gallonage assignment and ultimately CBMA credits.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Collaborate closely with internal stakeholders in the areas of Key Account Management (the customer),, Finance, Regulatory and Warehouse Operations.
• Continuous Improvement: Identify areas for process improvement within purchasing and inventory
• management. Implement best practices, automation, and digital tools to streamline procurement processes, enhance data analysis, and increase operational efficiency.

OUR IDEAL CANDIDATE HAS:

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in business administration, information systems, supply chain management or related field of study

Experience

• 10 + years of or CPG, Supply Chain, Master Data, Pricing, or related fields is required.
• 5 + years of management experience -both people and process.

Specific skills

• Proven leadership and management skills: Interpersonal skills, driver for results and orientation to collaborate a must.
• Ability to work in a high-energy, communication-intense environment.
• Experience in a globally sourced CPG.
• Alcohol industry experience preferred
• Strong understanding of data governance principles, and data quality management.
• Prior experience using demand planning tools.
• Experience in Microsoft Dynamics NAVBusiness Central is preferred.
• High attention to detail.
• Excellent time management and ability to meet deadlines.